SummaryFrom the twelfth to the seventeenth century, Aristotle’s writings lay at the foundation of Western culture, providing a body of knowledge and a set of analytical tools applicable to all areas of human investigation. Scholars of the Renaissance have emphasized the remarkable longevity and versatility of Aristotelianism, but their attention has remained firmly, and almost exclusively, fixed on the transmission of Aristotle’s works in Latin. Scarce attention has gone to works in the vernacular. Nonetheless, several important Renaissance figures wished to make Aristotle’s works accessible and available outside the narrow circle of professional philosophers and university professors. They believed that his works could provide essential knowledge to a broad set of readers, and embarked on an intense programme of translation and commentary to see this happen. It is the argument of this project that vernacular Aristotelianism made fundamental contributions to the thought of the period, anticipating many of the features of early modern philosophy and contributing to a new encyclopaedia of knowledge. Our project aims to offer the first detailed and comprehensive study of the vernacular diffusion of Aristotle through a series of analyses of its main texts. We will thus study works that fall within the two main Renaissance divisions of speculative philosophy (metaphysics, natural philosophy, mathematics, and logic) and civil philosophy (ethics, politics, rhetoric, and poetics). We will give strong attention to the contextualization of the texts they examine, as is standard practice in the best kind of intellectual history, focusing on institutional contexts, reading publics, the value of the vernacular, new visions of knowledge and eclecticism. With the work of the PI, two professors, 5 post-docs and two PhD students we aim to make considerable advances in the understanding of both speculative and civil philosophy within vernacular Aristotelianism.

From the twelfth to the seventeenth century, Aristotle’s writings lay at the foundation of Western culture, providing a body of knowledge and a set of analytical tools applicable to all areas of human investigation. Scholars of the Renaissance have emphasized the remarkable longevity and versatility of Aristotelianism, but their attention has remained firmly, and almost exclusively, fixed on the transmission of Aristotle’s works in Latin. Scarce attention has gone to works in the vernacular. Nonetheless, several important Renaissance figures wished to make Aristotle’s works accessible and available outside the narrow circle of professional philosophers and university professors. They believed that his works could provide essential knowledge to a broad set of readers, and embarked on an intense programme of translation and commentary to see this happen. It is the argument of this project that vernacular Aristotelianism made fundamental contributions to the thought of the period, anticipating many of the features of early modern philosophy and contributing to a new encyclopaedia of knowledge. Our project aims to offer the first detailed and comprehensive study of the vernacular diffusion of Aristotle through a series of analyses of its main texts. We will thus study works that fall within the two main Renaissance divisions of speculative philosophy (metaphysics, natural philosophy, mathematics, and logic) and civil philosophy (ethics, politics, rhetoric, and poetics). We will give strong attention to the contextualization of the texts they examine, as is standard practice in the best kind of intellectual history, focusing on institutional contexts, reading publics, the value of the vernacular, new visions of knowledge and eclecticism. With the work of the PI, two professors, 5 post-docs and two PhD students we aim to make considerable advances in the understanding of both speculative and civil philosophy within vernacular Aristotelianism.

Max ERC Funding

1 483 180 €

Duration

Start date: 2014-05-01, End date: 2019-04-30

Project acronymBIC

ProjectCavitation across scales: following Bubbles from Inception to Collapse

Researcher (PI)Carlo Massimo Casciola

Host Institution (HI)UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI ROMA LA SAPIENZA

Call DetailsAdvanced Grant (AdG), PE8, ERC-2013-ADG

SummaryCavitation is the formation of vapor cavities inside a liquid due to low pressure. Cavitation is an ubiquitous and destructive phenomenon common to most engineering applications that deal with flowing water. At the same time, the extreme conditions realized in cavitation are increasingly exploited in medicine, chemistry, and biology. What makes cavitation unpredictable is its multiscale nature: nucleation of vapor bubbles heavily depends on micro- and nanoscale details; mesoscale phenomena, as bubble collapse, determine relevant macroscopic effects, e.g., cavitation damage. In addition, macroscopic flow conditions, such as turbulence, have a major impact on it.
The objective of the BIC project is to develop the lacking multiscale description of cavitation, by proposing new integrated numerical methods capable to perform quantitative predictions. The detailed and physically sound understanding of the multifaceted phenomena involved in cavitation (nucleation, bubble growth, transport, and collapse in turbulent flows) fostered by BIC project will result in new methods for designing fluid machinery, but also therapies in ultrasound medicine and chemical reactors. The BIC project builds upon the exceptionally broad experience of the PI and of his research group in numerical simulations of flows at different scales that include advanced atomistic simulations of nanoscale wetting phenomena, mesoscale models for multiphase flows, and particle-laden turbulent flows. The envisaged numerical methodologies (free-energy atomistic simulations, phase-field models, and Direct Numerical Simulation of bubble-laden flows) will be supported by targeted experimental activities, designed to validate models and characterize realistic conditions.

Cavitation is the formation of vapor cavities inside a liquid due to low pressure. Cavitation is an ubiquitous and destructive phenomenon common to most engineering applications that deal with flowing water. At the same time, the extreme conditions realized in cavitation are increasingly exploited in medicine, chemistry, and biology. What makes cavitation unpredictable is its multiscale nature: nucleation of vapor bubbles heavily depends on micro- and nanoscale details; mesoscale phenomena, as bubble collapse, determine relevant macroscopic effects, e.g., cavitation damage. In addition, macroscopic flow conditions, such as turbulence, have a major impact on it.
The objective of the BIC project is to develop the lacking multiscale description of cavitation, by proposing new integrated numerical methods capable to perform quantitative predictions. The detailed and physically sound understanding of the multifaceted phenomena involved in cavitation (nucleation, bubble growth, transport, and collapse in turbulent flows) fostered by BIC project will result in new methods for designing fluid machinery, but also therapies in ultrasound medicine and chemical reactors. The BIC project builds upon the exceptionally broad experience of the PI and of his research group in numerical simulations of flows at different scales that include advanced atomistic simulations of nanoscale wetting phenomena, mesoscale models for multiphase flows, and particle-laden turbulent flows. The envisaged numerical methodologies (free-energy atomistic simulations, phase-field models, and Direct Numerical Simulation of bubble-laden flows) will be supported by targeted experimental activities, designed to validate models and characterize realistic conditions.

Max ERC Funding

2 491 200 €

Duration

Start date: 2014-02-01, End date: 2019-01-31

Project acronymCALDER

ProjectCryogenic wide-Area Light Detectors with Excellent Resolution

Researcher (PI)Marco Vignati

Host Institution (HI)ISTITUTO NAZIONALE DI FISICA NUCLEARE

Call DetailsStarting Grant (StG), PE2, ERC-2013-StG

Summary"In the comprehension of fundamental laws of nature, particle physics is now facing two important questions:
1) What is the nature of the neutrino, is it a standard (Dirac) particle or a Majorana particle? The nature of the neutrino plays a crucial role in the global framework of particle interactions and in cosmology. The only practicable way to answer this question is to search for a nuclear process called ""neutrinoless double beta decay"" (0nuDBD).
2) What is the so called ""dark matter"" made of? Astrophysical observations suggest that the largest part of the mass of the Universe is composed by a form of matter other than atoms and known matter constituents. We still do not know what dark matter is made of because its rate of interaction with ordinary matter is really low, thus making the direct experimental detection extremely difficult.
Both 0nuDBD and dark matter interactions are rare processes and can be detected using the same experimental technique. Bolometers are promising devices and their combination with light detectors provides the identification of interacting particles, a powerful tool to reduce the background.
The goal of CALDER is to realize a new type of light detectors to improve the upcoming generation of bolometric experiments. The detectors will be designed to feature unprecedented energy resolution and reliability, to ensure an almost complete particle identification. In case of success, CUORE, a 0nuDBD experiment in construction, would gain in sensitivity by up to a factor 6. LUCIFER, a 0nuDBD experiment already implementing the light detection, could be sensitive also to dark matter interactions, thus increasing its research potential. The light detectors will be based on Kinetic Inductance Detectors (KIDs), a new technology that proved its potential in astrophysical applications but that is still new in the field of particle physics and rare event searches."

"In the comprehension of fundamental laws of nature, particle physics is now facing two important questions:
1) What is the nature of the neutrino, is it a standard (Dirac) particle or a Majorana particle? The nature of the neutrino plays a crucial role in the global framework of particle interactions and in cosmology. The only practicable way to answer this question is to search for a nuclear process called ""neutrinoless double beta decay"" (0nuDBD).
2) What is the so called ""dark matter"" made of? Astrophysical observations suggest that the largest part of the mass of the Universe is composed by a form of matter other than atoms and known matter constituents. We still do not know what dark matter is made of because its rate of interaction with ordinary matter is really low, thus making the direct experimental detection extremely difficult.
Both 0nuDBD and dark matter interactions are rare processes and can be detected using the same experimental technique. Bolometers are promising devices and their combination with light detectors provides the identification of interacting particles, a powerful tool to reduce the background.
The goal of CALDER is to realize a new type of light detectors to improve the upcoming generation of bolometric experiments. The detectors will be designed to feature unprecedented energy resolution and reliability, to ensure an almost complete particle identification. In case of success, CUORE, a 0nuDBD experiment in construction, would gain in sensitivity by up to a factor 6. LUCIFER, a 0nuDBD experiment already implementing the light detection, could be sensitive also to dark matter interactions, thus increasing its research potential. The light detectors will be based on Kinetic Inductance Detectors (KIDs), a new technology that proved its potential in astrophysical applications but that is still new in the field of particle physics and rare event searches."

Summary"The eruption of volcanoes appears one of the most unpredictable phenomena on Earth. Yet the situation is rapidly changing. Quantification of the eruptive record constrains what is possible in a given volcanic system. Timing is the hardest part to quantify.
The main process triggering an eruption is the refilling of a sub-volcanic magma chamber by a new magma coming from depth. This process results in magma mixing and provokes a time-dependent diffusion of chemical elements. Understanding the time elapsed from mixing to eruption is fundamental to discerning pre-eruptive behaviour of volcanoes to mitigate the huge impact of volcanic eruptions on society and the environment.
The CHRONOS project proposes a new method that will cut the Gordian knot of the presently intractable problem of volcanic eruption timing using a surgical approach integrating textural, geochemical and experimental data on magma mixing. I will use the compositional heterogeneity frozen in time in the rocks the same way a broken clock at a crime scene is used to determine the time of the incident. CHRONOS will aim to:
1) be the first study to reproduce magma mixing, by performing unique experiments constrained by natural data and using natural melts, under controlled rheological and fluid-dynamics conditions;
2) obtain unprecedented high-quality data on the time dependence of chemical exchanges during magma mixing;
3) derive empirical relationships linking the extent of chemical exchanges and the mixing timescales;
4) determine timescales of volcanic eruptions combining natural and experimental data.
CHRONOS will open a new window on the physico-chemical processes occurring in the days preceding volcanic eruptions providing unprecedented information to build the first inventory of eruption timescales for planet Earth. If these timescales can be linked with geophysical signals occurring prior to eruptions, this inventory will have an immense value, enabling precise prediction of volcanic eruptions."

"The eruption of volcanoes appears one of the most unpredictable phenomena on Earth. Yet the situation is rapidly changing. Quantification of the eruptive record constrains what is possible in a given volcanic system. Timing is the hardest part to quantify.
The main process triggering an eruption is the refilling of a sub-volcanic magma chamber by a new magma coming from depth. This process results in magma mixing and provokes a time-dependent diffusion of chemical elements. Understanding the time elapsed from mixing to eruption is fundamental to discerning pre-eruptive behaviour of volcanoes to mitigate the huge impact of volcanic eruptions on society and the environment.
The CHRONOS project proposes a new method that will cut the Gordian knot of the presently intractable problem of volcanic eruption timing using a surgical approach integrating textural, geochemical and experimental data on magma mixing. I will use the compositional heterogeneity frozen in time in the rocks the same way a broken clock at a crime scene is used to determine the time of the incident. CHRONOS will aim to:
1) be the first study to reproduce magma mixing, by performing unique experiments constrained by natural data and using natural melts, under controlled rheological and fluid-dynamics conditions;
2) obtain unprecedented high-quality data on the time dependence of chemical exchanges during magma mixing;
3) derive empirical relationships linking the extent of chemical exchanges and the mixing timescales;
4) determine timescales of volcanic eruptions combining natural and experimental data.
CHRONOS will open a new window on the physico-chemical processes occurring in the days preceding volcanic eruptions providing unprecedented information to build the first inventory of eruption timescales for planet Earth. If these timescales can be linked with geophysical signals occurring prior to eruptions, this inventory will have an immense value, enabling precise prediction of volcanic eruptions."

Max ERC Funding

1 993 813 €

Duration

Start date: 2014-05-01, End date: 2019-04-30

Project acronymCOBHAM

ProjectThe role of consumer behavior and heterogeneity in the integrated assessment of energy and climate policies

Researcher (PI)Massimo Tavoni

Host Institution (HI)POLITECNICO DI MILANO

Call DetailsStarting Grant (StG), SH3, ERC-2013-StG

SummaryThe objective of this project is to quantify the role of consumers’ behaviour on the design and assessment of policies aimed at enhancing energy efficiency and conservation and at promoting climate change mitigation. The project brings together different disciplines –namely energy policy, environmental and ecological economics, behavioral public finance, experimental economics, and technology policy- in an integrated fashion. COBHAM is designed to go beyond the standard analysis of energy and climate policies in the presence of environmental externalities, by accounting for the heterogeneity in consumers’ preferences, the role of social interactions, and the presence of behavioral tendencies and biases. The project seeks to: i) carry out innovative research in the theoretical understanding of the interplay between behavioral tendencies and environmental externalities; ii) generate new empirical data and research on individual preferences by means of original surveys and controlled experiments; iii) enhance integrated assessment models (IAMs) of economy, energy and climate with an advanced representation of consumers’ behavior. In doing so, the project will be able to provide a richer characterization of energy demand and of greenhouse gas emission scenarios, to better estimate consumers’ responsiveness to energy and climate policies, and to provide input to the design of new policy instruments aimed at influencing energy and environmental sustainable behavior. COBHAM is of high public policy relevance given Europe’s legislation on energy efficiency and CO2 emissions, and can provide important insights also outside the sphere of energy and climate policymaking.

The objective of this project is to quantify the role of consumers’ behaviour on the design and assessment of policies aimed at enhancing energy efficiency and conservation and at promoting climate change mitigation. The project brings together different disciplines –namely energy policy, environmental and ecological economics, behavioral public finance, experimental economics, and technology policy- in an integrated fashion. COBHAM is designed to go beyond the standard analysis of energy and climate policies in the presence of environmental externalities, by accounting for the heterogeneity in consumers’ preferences, the role of social interactions, and the presence of behavioral tendencies and biases. The project seeks to: i) carry out innovative research in the theoretical understanding of the interplay between behavioral tendencies and environmental externalities; ii) generate new empirical data and research on individual preferences by means of original surveys and controlled experiments; iii) enhance integrated assessment models (IAMs) of economy, energy and climate with an advanced representation of consumers’ behavior. In doing so, the project will be able to provide a richer characterization of energy demand and of greenhouse gas emission scenarios, to better estimate consumers’ responsiveness to energy and climate policies, and to provide input to the design of new policy instruments aimed at influencing energy and environmental sustainable behavior. COBHAM is of high public policy relevance given Europe’s legislation on energy efficiency and CO2 emissions, and can provide important insights also outside the sphere of energy and climate policymaking.

Max ERC Funding

1 451 840 €

Duration

Start date: 2014-08-01, End date: 2019-07-31

Project acronymCOMANCHE

ProjectCoherent manipulation and control of heat in solid-state nanostructures: the era of coherent caloritronics

Researcher (PI)Francesco Giazotto

Host Institution (HI)CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHE

Call DetailsConsolidator Grant (CoG), PE3, ERC-2013-CoG

Summary"Electronic nanodevices have demonstrated to be versatile and effective tools for the investigation of exotic quantum phenomena under controlled and adjustable conditions. Yet, these have enabled to give access to the manipulation of charge flow with unprecedented precision. On the other hand, the wisdom dealing with control, measurements, storage, and conversion of heat in nanoscale devices, the so-called “caloritronics” (from the Latin word “calor”, i.e., heat), despite a number of recent advances is still at its infancy. Although coherence often plays a crucial role in determining the functionalities of nanoelectronic devices very little is known of its role in caloritronics. In such a context, coherent control of heat seems at present still very far from reach, and devising methods to phase-coherently manipulate the thermal current would represent a crucial breakthrough which could open the door to unprecedented possibilities in several fields of science.
Here we propose an original approach to set the experimental ground for the investigation and implementation of a new branch of science, the “coherent caloritronics”, which will take advantage of quantum circuits to phase-coherently manipulate and control the heat current in solid-state nanostructures. To tackle this challenging task our approach will follow three main separate approaches, i.e., the coherent control of heat transported by electrons in Josephson nanocircuits, the coherent manipulation of heat carried by electrons and exchanged between electrons and lattice phonons in superconducting proximity systems,
and finally, the control of the heat exchanged between electrons and photons by coherently tuning the coupling with the electromagnetic environment. We will integrate superconductors with normal-metal or semiconductor electrodes thus exploring new device concepts such as heat transistors, heat diodes, heat splitters, where thermal flux control is achieved thanks to the use of the quantum phase."

"Electronic nanodevices have demonstrated to be versatile and effective tools for the investigation of exotic quantum phenomena under controlled and adjustable conditions. Yet, these have enabled to give access to the manipulation of charge flow with unprecedented precision. On the other hand, the wisdom dealing with control, measurements, storage, and conversion of heat in nanoscale devices, the so-called “caloritronics” (from the Latin word “calor”, i.e., heat), despite a number of recent advances is still at its infancy. Although coherence often plays a crucial role in determining the functionalities of nanoelectronic devices very little is known of its role in caloritronics. In such a context, coherent control of heat seems at present still very far from reach, and devising methods to phase-coherently manipulate the thermal current would represent a crucial breakthrough which could open the door to unprecedented possibilities in several fields of science.
Here we propose an original approach to set the experimental ground for the investigation and implementation of a new branch of science, the “coherent caloritronics”, which will take advantage of quantum circuits to phase-coherently manipulate and control the heat current in solid-state nanostructures. To tackle this challenging task our approach will follow three main separate approaches, i.e., the coherent control of heat transported by electrons in Josephson nanocircuits, the coherent manipulation of heat carried by electrons and exchanged between electrons and lattice phonons in superconducting proximity systems,
and finally, the control of the heat exchanged between electrons and photons by coherently tuning the coupling with the electromagnetic environment. We will integrate superconductors with normal-metal or semiconductor electrodes thus exploring new device concepts such as heat transistors, heat diodes, heat splitters, where thermal flux control is achieved thanks to the use of the quantum phase."

Max ERC Funding

1 754 897 €

Duration

Start date: 2014-05-01, End date: 2019-04-30

Project acronymCOMPAT

ProjectComplex Patterns for Strongly Interacting Dynamical Systems

Researcher (PI)Susanna Terracini

Host Institution (HI)UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI TORINO

Call DetailsAdvanced Grant (AdG), PE1, ERC-2013-ADG

SummaryThis project focuses on nontrivial solutions of systems of differential equations characterized by strongly nonlinear interactions. We are interested in the effect of the nonlinearities on the emergence of non trivial self-organized structures. Such patterns correspond to selected solutions of the differential system possessing special symmetries or shadowing particular shapes. We want to understand, from the
mathematical point of view, what are the main mechanisms involved in the aggregation process in terms of the global variational structure of the problem. Following this common thread, we deal with both with the classical N-body problem of Celestial Mechanics, where interactions feature attractive singularities, and competition-diffusion systems, where pattern formation is driven by strongly repulsive forces. More
precisely, we are interested in periodic and bounded solutions, parabolic trajectories with the final intent to build complex motions and possibly obtain the symbolic dynamics for the general N–body problem. On the other hand, we deal with elliptic, parabolic and hyperbolic systems of differential equations with strongly competing interaction terms, modeling both the dynamics of competing populations (Lotka-
Volterra systems) and other interesting physical phenomena, among which the phase segregation of solitary waves of Gross-Pitaevskii systems arising in the study of multicomponent Bose-Einstein condensates. In particular, we will study existence, multiplicity and asymptotic expansions of solutions when the competition parameter tends to infinity. We shall be concerned with optimal partition problems
related to linear and nonlinear eigenvalues

This project focuses on nontrivial solutions of systems of differential equations characterized by strongly nonlinear interactions. We are interested in the effect of the nonlinearities on the emergence of non trivial self-organized structures. Such patterns correspond to selected solutions of the differential system possessing special symmetries or shadowing particular shapes. We want to understand, from the
mathematical point of view, what are the main mechanisms involved in the aggregation process in terms of the global variational structure of the problem. Following this common thread, we deal with both with the classical N-body problem of Celestial Mechanics, where interactions feature attractive singularities, and competition-diffusion systems, where pattern formation is driven by strongly repulsive forces. More
precisely, we are interested in periodic and bounded solutions, parabolic trajectories with the final intent to build complex motions and possibly obtain the symbolic dynamics for the general N–body problem. On the other hand, we deal with elliptic, parabolic and hyperbolic systems of differential equations with strongly competing interaction terms, modeling both the dynamics of competing populations (Lotka-
Volterra systems) and other interesting physical phenomena, among which the phase segregation of solitary waves of Gross-Pitaevskii systems arising in the study of multicomponent Bose-Einstein condensates. In particular, we will study existence, multiplicity and asymptotic expansions of solutions when the competition parameter tends to infinity. We shall be concerned with optimal partition problems
related to linear and nonlinear eigenvalues

Max ERC Funding

1 346 145 €

Duration

Start date: 2014-02-01, End date: 2019-01-31

Project acronymCRYSBEAM

ProjectCrystal channeling to extract a high energy hadron beam from an accelerator

Researcher (PI)Gianluca Cavoto

Host Institution (HI)ISTITUTO NAZIONALE DI FISICA NUCLEARE

Call DetailsConsolidator Grant (CoG), PE2, ERC-2013-CoG

SummaryA new generation of parasitic beam extraction of high energy particles from an accelerator is proposed in CRYSBEAM. Instead of massive magnetic kickers, bent thin crystals trapping particles within the crystal lattice planes are used. This type of beam manipulation opens new fields of investigation of fundamental interactions between particles and of coherent interactions between particles and matter. An experiment in connection to Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays study in Earth’s high atmosphere can be conducted.
Several TeV energy protons or ions are deflected towards a chosen target by the bent lattice planes only when the lattice planes are parallel to the incoming particles direction.
The three key ingredients of CRYSBEAM are:
- a goniometer based on piezoelectric devices that orients a bent finely-polished low-miscut silicon crystal with a high resolution and repeatability, monitoring its position with synthetic diamond sensors. Novel procedures in crystal manufacturing & testing and cutting-edge mechanical solutions for motion technology in vacuum are developed;
- a silica screen that measures the deflected particles via Cherenkov radiation emission in micrometric optical waveguides. These are obtained with an ultra-short laser micro-machining technique as for photonic devices used in quantum optics and quantum computing. The screen is a direct beam-imaging detector for a high radiation dose environment;
- a smart absorber, which simulates the Earth’s atmosphere, where particles are smashed and secondary showers are initiated. This sets the path to measure hadronic cross sections at an energy relevant for cosmic rays investigation.
The R&D for the various components of such a system are carried out within this project and direct tests at CERN Super Proton Synchrotron to be performed prior to the final installation in the Large Hadron Collider at CERN are proposed. A new concept of particle accelerator operations will be finally set in place.

A new generation of parasitic beam extraction of high energy particles from an accelerator is proposed in CRYSBEAM. Instead of massive magnetic kickers, bent thin crystals trapping particles within the crystal lattice planes are used. This type of beam manipulation opens new fields of investigation of fundamental interactions between particles and of coherent interactions between particles and matter. An experiment in connection to Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays study in Earth’s high atmosphere can be conducted.
Several TeV energy protons or ions are deflected towards a chosen target by the bent lattice planes only when the lattice planes are parallel to the incoming particles direction.
The three key ingredients of CRYSBEAM are:
- a goniometer based on piezoelectric devices that orients a bent finely-polished low-miscut silicon crystal with a high resolution and repeatability, monitoring its position with synthetic diamond sensors. Novel procedures in crystal manufacturing & testing and cutting-edge mechanical solutions for motion technology in vacuum are developed;
- a silica screen that measures the deflected particles via Cherenkov radiation emission in micrometric optical waveguides. These are obtained with an ultra-short laser micro-machining technique as for photonic devices used in quantum optics and quantum computing. The screen is a direct beam-imaging detector for a high radiation dose environment;
- a smart absorber, which simulates the Earth’s atmosphere, where particles are smashed and secondary showers are initiated. This sets the path to measure hadronic cross sections at an energy relevant for cosmic rays investigation.
The R&D for the various components of such a system are carried out within this project and direct tests at CERN Super Proton Synchrotron to be performed prior to the final installation in the Large Hadron Collider at CERN are proposed. A new concept of particle accelerator operations will be finally set in place.

Summary"Catabolism of amino acids is an ancient survival strategy that also controls immune responses in mammals. Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), a tryptophan catabolizing enzyme, is recognized as an authentic regulator of immunity in several physiopathologic conditions, including autoimmune diseases, in which it is often defective, and neoplasia, in which it promotes immune unresponsiveness. The PI’s group recently revealed that IDO does not merely degrade tryptophan and produce immunoregulatory kynurenines but also acts as a signal-transducing molecule independently of its enzyme activity. IDO’s signaling function relies on the presence of phosphorylable motifs in a region (small IDO domain) distant from the catalytic site (large IDO domain). Preliminary data indicate that IDO, depending on microenvironmental conditions, can move among distinct cellular compartments. Thus IDO may be considered a ‘moonligthing’ protein, i.e., an ancestral metabolic molecule that, during evolution, has acquired the DYNAMIC feature of moving intracellularly and switching among distinct functions by changing its conformational state. By means of computational studies, Macchiarulo’s group (team member) has identified distinct conformations of IDO, some of which are associated with optimal catalytic activity of the enzyme whereas others may favor tyrosine phosphorylation of IDO’s small domain. A switch between distinct conformations can be induced by the use of ligands that bind either the catalytic site or an accessory pocket outside the IDO catalytic site. The first aim of DIDO is to decipher the relationships between IDO conformations and multiple functions of the enzyme. A second aim is to identify small molecules with drug-like properties capable of modulating distinct IDO’s molecular conformations in order to either potentiate (a new therapeutic approach in autoimmune diseases) or inhibit (more efficient anti-tumor therapeutic strategy) immunoregulatory signaling ability of IDO."

"Catabolism of amino acids is an ancient survival strategy that also controls immune responses in mammals. Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), a tryptophan catabolizing enzyme, is recognized as an authentic regulator of immunity in several physiopathologic conditions, including autoimmune diseases, in which it is often defective, and neoplasia, in which it promotes immune unresponsiveness. The PI’s group recently revealed that IDO does not merely degrade tryptophan and produce immunoregulatory kynurenines but also acts as a signal-transducing molecule independently of its enzyme activity. IDO’s signaling function relies on the presence of phosphorylable motifs in a region (small IDO domain) distant from the catalytic site (large IDO domain). Preliminary data indicate that IDO, depending on microenvironmental conditions, can move among distinct cellular compartments. Thus IDO may be considered a ‘moonligthing’ protein, i.e., an ancestral metabolic molecule that, during evolution, has acquired the DYNAMIC feature of moving intracellularly and switching among distinct functions by changing its conformational state. By means of computational studies, Macchiarulo’s group (team member) has identified distinct conformations of IDO, some of which are associated with optimal catalytic activity of the enzyme whereas others may favor tyrosine phosphorylation of IDO’s small domain. A switch between distinct conformations can be induced by the use of ligands that bind either the catalytic site or an accessory pocket outside the IDO catalytic site. The first aim of DIDO is to decipher the relationships between IDO conformations and multiple functions of the enzyme. A second aim is to identify small molecules with drug-like properties capable of modulating distinct IDO’s molecular conformations in order to either potentiate (a new therapeutic approach in autoimmune diseases) or inhibit (more efficient anti-tumor therapeutic strategy) immunoregulatory signaling ability of IDO."

Summary"The project aims at providing electronic editions of ancient medical sources including texts, translations, commentary, metadata, and images of papyri, ostraca, and tablets. Greek medical papyri and related artifacts recovered in Egypt are a veritable treasure trove of information on crucial and otherwise poorly attested phases in the development of ancient Greek medicine, its penetration into regions of the Mediterranean world and its transformation through interaction with local medical traditions — a medicine that Romans spread throughout western Europe. The interdisciplinary approach makes possible cooperative interaction among classicists, information technicians, ancient historians, and especially historians of medicine. The goal is to make both texts and metadata accessible via a single interface and to publish texts online, combining philological rigour with technological flexibility, bibliographic control, and a critical apparatus for each text. Openness and dynamism will characterise our searchable database: it is not to be a synthesis of fixed data, but rather a constantly changing repertory of sources monitored by the scholarly community and maintained by those who wish to participate at a professional level. It will extend the Duke Data Bank, taking the latter in new directions by uniting documentary and literary papyri into a common technological framework — SoSOL within Digital Papyrology. The central feature is interaction by the worldwide community of coopted participants manipulating electronic means to produce new editions of previously unknown literary and paraliterary texts of medical content, as well as to improve existing editions. The Medical Library will share space with a dictionary of technical terms attested in the papyri that likewise survive into modern scientific discourse. The entire community of papyrologists, ancient historians, historians of science, philologists, and digital humanists will share in the results."

"The project aims at providing electronic editions of ancient medical sources including texts, translations, commentary, metadata, and images of papyri, ostraca, and tablets. Greek medical papyri and related artifacts recovered in Egypt are a veritable treasure trove of information on crucial and otherwise poorly attested phases in the development of ancient Greek medicine, its penetration into regions of the Mediterranean world and its transformation through interaction with local medical traditions — a medicine that Romans spread throughout western Europe. The interdisciplinary approach makes possible cooperative interaction among classicists, information technicians, ancient historians, and especially historians of medicine. The goal is to make both texts and metadata accessible via a single interface and to publish texts online, combining philological rigour with technological flexibility, bibliographic control, and a critical apparatus for each text. Openness and dynamism will characterise our searchable database: it is not to be a synthesis of fixed data, but rather a constantly changing repertory of sources monitored by the scholarly community and maintained by those who wish to participate at a professional level. It will extend the Duke Data Bank, taking the latter in new directions by uniting documentary and literary papyri into a common technological framework — SoSOL within Digital Papyrology. The central feature is interaction by the worldwide community of coopted participants manipulating electronic means to produce new editions of previously unknown literary and paraliterary texts of medical content, as well as to improve existing editions. The Medical Library will share space with a dictionary of technical terms attested in the papyri that likewise survive into modern scientific discourse. The entire community of papyrologists, ancient historians, historians of science, philologists, and digital humanists will share in the results."